Meet Azer Mirzoev: The Blitz Grandmaster Who Never Sleeps
Azer Mirzoev, known online as azikom, is a FIDE Grandmaster with a serious addiction to the 5-minute battlefield. While he dabbles in rapid and bullet, his heart belongs to blitz, where he has amassed over 3,200 games and a peak rating of 2788 (2025-02-04) (2788, achieved in February 2025). If you ever find yourself facing him at 2:00 AM, just know that's his prime time, and he's probably enjoying every second of your suffering.
A Rating Rollercoaster Worth the Ticket
Mirzoev's blitz journey is a wild ride. Starting from a modest 1644 in March 2018, he rocketed upward, crossing 2500 by mid-2020 and flirting with 2700 by 2021. After a brief slump in 2022-2023, he stormed back, hitting his career-high 2788 in early 2025. His rating graph looks like a mountain range designed by a caffeinated chess deity.
His win rate in blitz is a staggering 61.7% overall, with a white win rate of 62.25% and black at 59.17%. He doesn't just win; he wins decisively, with an average of 84 moves per win. That's not a sprint, it's a marathon with checkmate at the finish line.
Playing Style: Attack, Attack, and Then Attack Some More
Mirzoev is a natural-born attacker. His favorite weapon as White is the Sicilian Defense: Closed, where he scores a solid 60.8% win rate. As Black, he's equally dangerous in the Caro-Kann Defense, winning 54% of his games. But his true love is the Amazon Attack: Siberian Attack, a hyper-aggressive line that he plays with reckless abandon, winning half his games and losing the other half in spectacular fashion.
He's not afraid to sacrifice material either. His "win rate after losing a piece" is 58.34%, meaning even when he blunders, he finds a way to swindle you. His comeback rate is 83%, so never count him out, even if you're up a queen. He'll just checkmate you in the endgame like it's nothing.
Rivalries and Foes
Every hero needs a nemesis. Mirzoev has a few. His most frequent opponent is Habil Javadov, with 25 games. He holds a 16-7-2 record there, so he's got the upper hand. But against Ashton Jin, it's a different story: 9 wins, 12 losses, and 3 draws. That's a losing record, and you can bet he's grinding to fix that. Then there's Nicolas De La Colina, who has beaten him 14 times out of 20. Ouch. But he dominates nihat_20100 with an 18-1 record, so he knows how to pick his battles.
Streaks and Psychological Warfare
Mirzoev once won 35 games in a row. That's not a streak; that's a rampage. His longest losing streak is 8, which probably happened during a particularly bad tilt session. Speaking of tilt, his "tilt factor" is 8, which means he gets angry, but he channels it into winning. His best time of day is 2:00 AM, when he wins 100% of his games (sample size of 2, but still). He also has a strange habit of playing better when he's down material, which is the chess equivalent of a horror movie villain.
Opening Repertoire: A Love Letter to the Sicilian
If you look at his opening performance, you'll see a pattern: he loves the Sicilian Defense in all its forms. Closed Sicilian, Alapin Variation, Kan Variation, you name it. His win rate in the Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation is a monstrous 67.9% as Black. He's also a fan of the English Opening, especially the Agincourt Defense, where he wins 60% of the time.
His average first capture happens on move 7.7, so he's not afraid to trade early. But he also plays long games, with an endgame frequency of 89.5%, meaning he's comfortable grinding out wins in the endgame. He's a complete player, but his heart belongs to the sharp, tactical battles of the Sicilian.
The Verdict
Azer Mirzoev is a blitz powerhouse, a Grandmaster who thrives on chaos and clock pressure. He's the guy you see at 2 AM with a 2788 rating, calmly dismantling opponents with his beloved Sicilian Defense. He might lose a piece, but he'll never lose his nerve. If you ever face him, just remember: he's probably having the time of his life, and you're just the entertainment.